how to find a place in oversubscribed school mid year

You will not get a y6 and a y8 at the same school because they transfer at the end of y6. The only way round would be to find a secondary with a primary on site, immediate to me you'd be looking at John Colet or AVA. None of the others, off the top of my head do. Tbh I'd focus on having your y8 old develop their independence, and travel to school on their own. They usually aren't the only one on their transport.

If you are considering Hertfordshire, this may help:

www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/school-admissions/in-year-admissions-change-schools-during-the-year/school-vacancies/vacancies-in-hertfordshire-schools.aspx

We have a DN who got a place at a grammar school in-year (Yr8?). She had to do a qualifying test. BUT I think she was lucky as hers isn't in London/Home Counties, and as far as I know there weren't loads of other candidates for the place at that particular time.

A few places have become available (and quickly filled) at DC1's super-selective grammar school. The school always has a waiting list for places and it would presumably be the candidate who scores most highly who gets in?

Most DC won't want to move schools once they're settled though, so be warned!

And lots of siblings do attend different secondary schools and find their own way there on public transport! I am never convinced by the sibling policy argument for secondary schools, particularly if a family lives in London or somewhere with good transport links.

Forgot to mention, you may be able to get sample papers from the respective schools and you can look at the standard required.

Much of the tutoring that parents do is to teach children to answer questions quickly, but accurately and getting them used to answering comprehension questions. For example you could spend 5 minutes working what 5.999987 x 3.1023 = , but as its multiple choice you would simply round up/down to determine the best answer, so finding the answer closest to 6 x 3.

spaniel - there is a list of schools with places on the bucks CC website, they don't update it over he summer though, you need to check back on the 11th September.

The grammar schools are great is you do have bright children, I wouldn't discount them and places do come up. Its highly likely though that you won't get a place for all your children in the same school. Due to the single sex nature of many of the schools here its not that uncommon to have 3 children at 3 different schools anyway. There are several people in my village who have a child at each of the single sex grammars and one at the comp.

I think you will struggle in the South East to find Good schools which are not oversubscribed. But personally I would avoid moving to an 11+ county, and try to find somewhere with a few good Comprehensives. In the area you are looking I would look at: Oxfordshire, maybe Hertfordshire, and some of the Berkshire LAs (and maybe places like Uxbridge).
Good luck.

Chesham Grammar has always been over subscribed in recent years and will always have a waiting list, as will all good schools locally. The catchment has shrunk dramatically too.
Clement Danes etc in Herts may not be grammars but they have small catchments and are very oversubscribed.

Your best bet is to find out about the waiting lists in the schools and the distances to try and make sure you get high up on a waiting list. If you get a move on and get your youngest in on a late entry that will help with priority for siblings.

Unfortunately as people have said they will provide you with any school that is free, and popular schools in areas with less good schools will always have people falling over themselves to get their kids into the best schools. You may not think it's fair as you move into the area but many people having been living for years around the corner from outstanding schools and not get in. It's brutal.

Re: Herts, I was suggesting live in Herts, on top if the school, and commute to Gerrard's Cross.

StCD, still lots of horses, but lots of children from non horse owning families too.

Tralalalalz He was one of the few without his own horse

Looks like the school has changed a lot since your brother was there then.

St Clement Dane's is an excellent high performing leafy comp. My brother went there. He was one of the few without his own horse.

Zodlebud Fri 11-Aug-17 19:35:23 I agree about looking at Herts

I don't, unless you move to an area that is within catchment. If you do move to Gerrards Cross the only schools you would be eligible for are (happy to stand corrected on this if catchments have been changed in the last year):

Rickmansworth - offers up to 3 places to non catchment
St Clement Danes - no catchment for academic (10%) or music (10%) but allocation is done on score, top down and cut off marks went up considerably last year.
Parmiters - offers 3 non catchment places.

You will not gain a distance place at any of the SW Herts schools from Gerrards Cross as it is not within catchment (St Clement Danes prioritises distance places within WD3 and has filled all distance places from this area for a number of years now).

I agree about looking at Herts. There are some great schools just on the border with Bucks. I would live in Bucks for the grammars if that's what's important to you but have a look at spaces at Clement Danes and Rickmansworth Schools. Ashlyn's School in Berkhamsted is very much on the up and Hemel Hempstead School has a great reputation.

Chesham Grammar almost always has places and all of these schools are in close proximity.

The commute to Gerrards Cross from all these places in about half an hour.

I'm in bucks. Ds is at a school that has just been placed into special measures. However half of that is because they've refused to implicate every government whim immediately. They've been great with ds. Dd1 is about to start with colet, again I think great school, and will be much better for her than a grammar. So don't immediately discount schools that aren't outstanding.

Y7 onwards they can make their own way there. Practice the route with them, but they'll not be the only one, and they'll fly given the independence. Plus, it's the nearest or allocated by council is over 3 miles (secondary, 2 miles

Re uppers: it is more than a label though, it is a totally different type of school. And in most cases they are schools which clued- up/ambitious/motivated/sharp-elbowed (depending on your view) parents do their level best to avoid their children going to.

In an 11+ area there are no comps. Grammars and 2ndary moderns. 2ndary mods take the less able the grammars and therefore sometimes seem less aspirational. That's why the grammar system is so bad.

Whoops, I meant Chiltern Edge that was threatened with closure, not Gillots

If you're looking as far south as Reading, then be aware that Gillots went through some uncertainty this year and was threatened with closure - I heard that it was due to low numbers and a very bad Ofsted. That closure has been postponed for now but who knows how stable the cohort is now (parents moving kids asap to neighbouring schools).

East of Reading there is Piggott school, and within Wokingham district on the edge of Reading there are several highly rated secondaries: Maiden Erlegh (there's also its offshoot school Maiden Erlegh in Reading), Bulmershe, the Holt, Emmbrook.

It's going to be difficult to secure places anywhere without a new address, tricky system.

If you can cope with South oxon there are several nice comps including Icknield, Gillots, Langtree and Piggott (technically in Wokingham LEA but in fact in wargrave just off a4 and a404)

What about Holyport College? They have a Y9 intake. Maybe still has places as it is quite newly opened?